Ballast tamping machine

Abstract

A ballast tamping machine comprising a machine frame movable along, and extending in the direction of, the track and having guides extending transversely to the machine frame and track, and a tamping tool unit comprising a frame associated with one of the rails and mounted for transverse displacement on the guides, the frame having two pairs of vertical guide columns, a power drive for transversely displacing the frame on the guides, a respective tamping tool carrier mounted on each pair of vertical guide columns for vertical adjustment with respect to the frame, a respective drive for vertically adjusting each one of the tamping tool carriers independently on the pair of vertical guide columns whereon the respective tamping tool carrier is mounted, a respective pair of tamping tools mounted on each one of the tamping tool carriers for immersion at the field side and the gage side, respectively, of the associated rail at a respective point of intersection between the rail and a track tie, a hydraulic drive for independently reciprocating each one of the tamping tools of each one of the pairs of tamping tools, and a respective drive for vibrating the tamping tools of each pair of tamping tools.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A machine for tamping ballast under a respective one of a succession of ties of a railroad track comprised of two rails fastened to the ties at points of intersection therebetween, each track rail having a field side and a gage side, the tamping machine comprising a machine frame movable along, and extending in the direction of, the track and having guide means extending transversely to the machine frame and track, and a tamping tool unit comprising (a) a frame associated with one of the rails and mounted for transverse displacement on the guide means, the frame having two pairs of vertical guide columns disposed in a common vertical plane defined by the associated rail,   (b) power drive means for transversely displacing the frame on the guide means,   (c) a respective tamping tool carrier mounted on each pair of vertical guide columns for vertical adjustment with respect to the frame,   (d) a respective drive for vertically adjusting each one of the tamping tool carriers independently on the pair of vertical guide columns whereon the respective tamping tool carrier is mounted,   (e) a respective pair of tamping tools mounted on each one of the tamping tool carriers for immersion at the field side and the gage side, respectively, of the associated rail at a respective one of the points of intersection,   (f) hydraulic drive means for independently reciprocating each one of the tamping tools of each one of the pairs of tamping tools, and   (g) a respective drive means for vibrating the tamping tools of each pair of tamping tools.   
     
     
       2. The ballast tamping machine of claim 1, wherein the pairs of the guide columns are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vibrating drive means. 
     
     
       3. The ballast tamping machine of claim 2, wherein the pairs of tamping tools are arranged symmetrically with respect to the common plane and the hydraulic reciprocating drive means comprises a respective hydraulic cylinder-piston drive connected to each tamping tool of the pairs. 
     
     
       4. The ballast tamping machine of claim 3, further comprising a hydraulically operable opening width limiting device associated with at least one of the drives for setting different opening widths for the tamping tool reciprocation. 
     
     
       5. The ballast tamping machine of claim 2, further comprising two vertically extending carrier plates supporting each one of the pairs of tamping tools and associated ones of the hydraulic reciprocating drive means and vibrating drive means, the carrier plates extending transversely to the common plane and being connected to a respective one of the tamping tool carriers. 
     
     
       6. The ballast tamping machine of claim 1, wherein the power drive means comprises a hydraulic cylinder-piston drive connected to the transversely displaceable frame and extending transversely to said direction. 
     
     
       7. The ballast tamping machine of claim 6, wherein the machine frame comprises a crossbeam and the cylinder end of the hydraulic drive is affixed to the crossbeam in the range of the track rail opposite to the track rail associated with the transversely displaceable frame of the tamping tool unit. 
     
     
       8. The ballast tamping machine of claim 1, further comprising another tamping tool unit associated with the other one of the track rails and mounted for transverse displacement on the guide means independently of the transverse displacement of the frame, and another power drive means for transversely displacing the other tamping tool unit along the guide means.